Free our oceans of oil tankers

No one likes Mondays, but last week's dramatic North Sea collision was an especially horrible start to the week, raising fears that 220,000 barrels of jet fuel could spill across the coast, causing an environmental disaster in one of the UK's most ecologically sensitive marine regions.

- CHRIS WRIGHT

Just miles away, rare seabird colonies, grey seals, and critical fish habitats in Flamborough Head and Holderness sat in the path of a potential spill – one that could choke marine life, taint food sources at a time when the birds were entering their breeding season, and throw a protected region’s delicate ecosystem off balance.

The disaster was largely averted this time. The company managing the oil tanker involved said that only one of 16 cargo tanks on the MV Stena Immaculate was ruptured, but the environmental risks remain. The clean-up will take weeks, and the full impact may not be understood for months.

But there’s a bigger picture we can’t ignore. This North Sea crash may have grabbed headlines, but shipping incidents, many of them involving fossil fuels, happen far more often than most people realise, and they are a constant, underreported threat to marine life and coastal communities. In fact, the British Isles has become a global hotspot for maritime accidents.

Over the last decade, just under 20 per cent of all shipping incidents around the world were within the waters of the British Isles. In 2023 alone, there were 695 incidents across the British Isles, making that close to two major incidents a day.

Around the world, most of these incidents are caused by mechanical damage and rarely make the headlines. But there are still thousands of collisions, and close to four major fires at sea every week. Last year alone, 10,000 tonnes of oil spilled into the ocean, pushing up the total loss over the last decade to 185,000 tonnes of oil. While you may not be able to remember any of these incidents, that’s the equivalent of five Exxon Valdez spills over the last decade alone.